PLUS GALLERY ARTIST R. JUSTING STEWART NOW IN RESIDENCY AT REDLINE

Plus Gallery artist R. Justin Stewart has arrived in Denver from New York City for a six week residency at neighboring institution Redline. Stewart is in town to prepare for his upcoming installation "Systems of Knowing" to debut at Plus Gallery on July 24th in conjunction with the gallery's eight year anniversary, as well as to develop his work at Redline. Stewart is one of the most exciting emerging artists in the country, having received remarkable accolades in the last couple of years for dimensional work that is both intelligent and visually dynamic.

Plus Gallery first worked with Stewart in 2007, offering him an exhibition at project space Object + Thought as part of the intern-curated program, the first to focus solely on one artist utilizing the entire volume of the space. "Partitioned 12-18" was a major success for Stewart as well as the gallery, challenging his abilities to work out complex issues in a short timeframe and in an unfamiliar space. That he was so warmly welcomed by both the team of interns and the community at large led to Stewart's deeper appreciation for Denver as a dynamic ground for contemporary art, one which now leads him back to produce a major new installation at Plus Gallery and spend time in Residence at Redline.

After receiving the 2007 International Sculpture Center Outstanding Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award, Stewart moved from Minneapolis, where he had recently graduated with an MFA from the University of Minnesota, to New York City to pursue his career. The award led to, among other things, an invitation by Esquire magazine to commission a major piece for inclusion in the publication's 75th Anniversary issue, along with Vic Muniz, Yan Pei-Ming, Richard Phillips and other internationally established artists. The work that Stewart produced for Esquire is an elegant rendition of the "Google Universe" in three dimensions, a task that would prove challenging for any artist to achieve. Stewart is deserving of the early accolades and is an artist firmly of our time. His approach to material and space has a profound effect on the viewer, managing to engage both visually and intellectually.

We invite art collectors and enthusiasts to visit with Justin while in residency, he is eager to meet more good people in Denver and share both his artistic gifts and first-rate personality. We ask that you schedule an appointment through Plus Gallery for anytime in the next six weeks, except during installation from July 19-24th. We'll have more on Justin and "Systems of Knowing" as we get closer to the commencement of the exhibition.